1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to an image processing device, and is suitable for application to color electrophotographic printers (hereinafter also referred to as color printers), for example.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional color printer is provided with five image drum units arranged in a row. Four of these image drum units form toner images with toners of four different colors, i.e., cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, which are base colors for the formation of a print image, and the remaining one image drum unit forms a toner image of the same pattern as that of a base color portion of a print image with toner of one color, such as clear or white, which is a special color for the formation of a print image. Then, the color printer forms a print image in which the special color is laid over the base colors in such a way that the toner images of the base colors formed by the four image drum units and the toner image of the special color formed by the one image drum unit are transferred sequentially one over another in that order and fixed to a surface of a medium to be printed (print medium). Alternatively, the color printer forms a print image in which the base colors are laid over the special color in such a way that the toner images of the base colors formed by the four image drum units are transferred sequentially one over another and fixed to a surface of a print medium, and then the toner image of the special color formed by the one image drum unit is transferred and fixed thereto (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-152209 (pp. 7, 8, and 14, and FIG. 1)